Touch Of Gray: Divorce Rate Among Boomers Rising

On behalf of The Marks Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Divorce on Wednesday, November 14, 2012

As everyone in St. Louis knows, marriage can be difficult. Even successful marriages take work, patience and perseverance. Whether a couple has been together a month, a couple of years or several decades, marriage requires both halves of the equation to be dedicated to its success.

Recent research from Bowling Green State University shows that divorce among the Baby Boom generation — those people from ages 46 to 65 — has risen dramatically, going up more than 50 percent in the past 20 years.

Back in 1970, the rate of people who divorced between ages 46 and 65 was at a low 13 percent. But back then, unhappily married people were more likely to stay together because divorce wasn’t as accepted culturally as it is today. So people suffered through years of strained and silent relationships or sometimes very confrontational marriages because divorce didn’t appear to be an acceptable option.

What’s remarkable about the spike in Boomer divorces is that divorce rates among other age groups are holding steady. It’s mainly those with a touch of gray who are increasingly seeking to get out of marriages that no longer work for both partners.

For many people at that age, the decision to divorce makes sense. The kids are typically out of the house and people are looking ahead to a winding down of their careers, and then retirement. So it’s a time of reflection and also planning ahead for those so-called golden years.

One marriage counselor said she sees older couples who tell her that “they are unhappy. I think some of it has to do with the fact that people are now living longer and they are evaluating their lives.”

For all their experience in other areas of life, most Boomers haven’t gone through a divorce. So they wisely rely on an attorney with not only experience in handling divorce cases, but also knowledge of this nuanced area of law.

Source: Bradenton Patch, “Grey divorce is new trend,” Dale Hutchings, Oct. 23, 2012

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